Elongated tools are often used within a variety of diagnostic and surgical procedures, such as ureteroscopy, endoscopy, laparoscopy, arthroscopy, gynoscopy, thoracoscopy, and cystoscopy, etc. Many of these procedures are carried out for purposes of tissue resection, which generally includes removal of a portion of tissue from an organ or a gland to treat tumors, infestations, and the like. Such procedures are typically carried out by inserting one or more elongated tools into the body through a surgical incision or natural anatomical orifice (e.g., mouth, vagina, or rectum), and using said tools to perform a procedure.
Endoscopic Mucosal Resection (EMR) and Endoscopic Sub-mucosal Dissection (ESD) are two exemplary types of said procedures, wherein an elongated tool, such as an endoscope, is used to resect a lesion from a portion of tissue (e.g., a mucosa or surface layer) that is attached to an underlying portion of tissue (e.g., a submucosa or underlying layer of dense irregular connective tissue). A cutting tool, such as a blade, snare, wire loop, or like tool, is typically extended from a working channel of the endoscope to perform the resection. Because these cutting tools are deployed within a living body, there remains a constant risk of inadvertently damaging otherwise healthy tissue. These potential complications can increase the amount of time required to complete the procedure, thereby increasing the cost of the procedure and the potential for infection.